Xbox Forums

LIVE CONNECT ISSUES- CANNOT CONNECT TO LIVE - GFWL - Games for Windows LIVE

If you have a technical problem where you cannot connect to LIVE with any Games for Windows LIVE game, then you shold post your problem here.

Please be consistent in detailing your issue while making edits to your original post if things change while troubleshoooting your issue.

Ideally, anyone who visits the forums and sees your post can easily provide suggestions that you may not have tried.

Also, I will do my best to remove any extraneous post or responses that provide zero to no value.

Without an index, it's hard to categorize technial issues, therefore the template below should be filled in when you post so that if we need to reachout to you or run test on the backend, then we have what we need already to start that process.

Once you run the connectivity test, you can view a Detailed Report of the test and let us know in your post if there were any errors reported after the test was completed.

Networking Basics

What is NAT? NAT stands for Network Address Translation where the router directs data to a specifc computer on your home network. NAT has a propensity to create problems for a variety of reasons, most common, two computers trying to send informaiton through the same port, the NAT device does not handle those request very well, which is why UPnP is very helpful in fixing that problem, most of the time.

How is that different than UPnP? They are not entirely different, NAT was normally configured with rules and was complicated for the average consumer. Universal Plug and Play simplifies that by only needing you to connect the device to your Internet modem, then it would do the rest.

Basically, UPnP is a set of networking protocols (rules) that handles network translations at the router. This is even more important when you connect on one port and then data starts being communited on another port. The UPnP feature on the router should handle this negotiaion for you. But, in some cases, and for some routers, either UPnP is not enabled, not supported (by design, check for updated firmware), or fails to work (Firmware Upgrade needed)

What if UPnP does not fix my connection problem? Portforwarding is normally a surefire method to resolving a connection problem to a specific service. In this case, the router knows that any data coming across a specific port must be directed to a specific computer on your home network. The only drawback is that if you want to have more than one PC connect to LIVE, this is where you must decide to either:

Invest in a new router that is marketed to be LIVE compatible

Uprgrade your routers firmware to a newer version that specifically indicates that it will correct problems with UPnP or connecting to LIVE

All of this is confusing to me, i just want to play my game! If you have a complex network setup at home, then its a given that you will need to understand the basics so that you not only can troubleshoot a game conneciton issue, but where you can troubleshoot any new device you try to connect that may not work as you anticipated.

Most of the quesitons I receive or read about seem to center around the basics and what I mean by that is certain terms or acronyms are used and the message is lost due to the need to learn about other things to fix this thing. For those with network knowledge, you should skip ahead.

Understanding a Basic Home Network Setup - If you have more than one computers sharing one Internet connection, then the IP (Internet Protocol) address assigned to your comptuer will be different than the IP address that your ISP (Internet Service Provider) provides to your router (NAT/Gateway) device. Think of an IP address as your home address, you cannot get mail delivered to your home if you don't have an address for people to send to you.

The same goes for the Internet, you cannot communicate on the Internet unless you have an IP address assinged to you by your ISP as no other computers or services would communicate back with you.

Now, if you have more than one computer connecting to the internet, then they both cannot share the same IP address given to you by your ISP, just like you cannot have more than one house have the same mailing address. So, the IP addresses your computer gets is assigned not by your ISP, but by your router (illustration above) or if you have Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on a Windows machine, then the IP addresses are being provided by Windows PC or a Server if you are part of a Domain, such as when you are at work or library.

Your IP address that is assinged to your computer by your router is not recognized by the Internet, so your router will be required to do exactly what its name is, 'route' data to your computer from the Internet to the IP address the router assinged to you.

Now when you connect to LIVE, you will either allow your router to handle the NAT (UPnP) or you will setup the router to forward all information from LIVE to the same PC each and everytime. This is called Port Forwarding and is very simple to setup and only requires you to take some time to read the instrucitons in your manual first, then try the link i provide below.

Port Forwarding

Below is a link that should be helpful in setting up port forwarding for your conneciton to LIVE if you are having trouble connecting or staying connected. Please keep in mind that portforwarding.com is not endorsed, sponsored, or maintained by Microsoft or Games for Windows -- LIVE. It's provided as a convenance as it has shown to be useful for community memebers with connection issues to try their suggested steps.

Three important things to try for LIVE conneciton issues:

If you enable UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) through the router, then you should try to connect to LIVE with only that setting enabled.

If you enable portforwarding, then you should disable UPnP on the router to see if you can connect to LIVE, if you can, then you should test step 3 below

Enabling portforwarding and UPnP to see if you can connect to LIVE.

It is important to let us know if you resolved your conneciton issue by disabling UPnP on the router with portforwarding being configured.

Xbox & Games for Windows -- LIVE requires the ability to open ports.

For consumers, UPnP IGD (Internet Gateway Device)protocols are currently supported in most, if not all, router/firewalls in market today. However, not all are enabled by default, please consult with the owners manual for assistance with enabling UPnP on your IGD.

Regarding commercial firewalls, such as what Universities, libraries, corporations, etc. have in place. By design, does not implement or support UPnP IGD specifications. Which is why some gamers who try to play from school or their dorm rooms cannot connect to LIVE. If this is the case for you, then you should contact the IT Administration office to see if their firewall does not support UPnP.

If you still cannot connect after running through the steps above, then please provide responses to the template below.

Error Verbatim - Error: LIVE could not sign you in because the Windows Live ID you entered does not exist or your password is incorrect

Detail the steps to reproduce the issue, detailing each mouse click or button push on the controller is always helpful.

When I go on Dirt 3, I have to log in to be able to save/access online features, I enter my login details (which I know are correct) and then the product key to activate it and I click the box next to agree to agree T&Cs it says please wait, then the above error.

Where was the game purschases and in what format? Steam

GT - TPullen21

PC/360 - PC

ISP - TalktTalk

Do you have a PPPoE or direct connection to Internet not needing to provide a username or password to connect? Use a router where I have to login to access it

LIVE Connection - have you ever connected to LIVE with a PC game in the past or is this your first attempt? Yes, before a fresh install of Windows (Same version) which was the day before I couldn't login, I logged in and it found my profile fine on Dirt 2

Can you signin to LIVE with the LIVE Client for Windows (GFWL Marketplace)? I can log into Hotmail, and the online MarketPlace but not the GFWL Marketplace application

If you have more than one Games for Windows LIVE PC game, can any of those games connect? Nope

TPullen21's post has been flagged. Thank you for your feedback.

Reason:

You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available.

PC/360 - Do you also own a Xbox 360? If so, can it connect to LIVE?yes i do, yes it can

You will need to use UPNP to get both working. Enable UPNP on the router you are connecting too. Then enable UPNP on the OS. Now run the IGD test from #5 on the list. Post the detailed information about UPNP in a new post in this thread.

Also you may want to try trouble shooting the PC with a direct connection, so you can rule out the router, and focuse on the software if it is needed.

InGlocksWeTrust's post has been flagged. Thank you for your feedback.

Reason:

You have posted to a forum that requires a moderator to approve posts before they are publicly available.